Educational alliance formed to develop local student engineers, scientists

In a local ceremony, Pasco-Hernando Community College along with Kettering University of Flint, Mich. entered into an articulation agreement opening doors and opportunities to engineering and science students in the Tampa Bay area. This agreement between the two schools means students can now follow a curriculum for two years at one college then transfer all the credits and enter a four-year school to complete their bachelor's degree.

“This new partnership will provide local students with exciting options to pursue upper level opportunities at Kettering, especially in the engineering and science fields. The further training will also increase the technical talent base in business and industry in the Tampa Bay Region now and in the future,” said Dr. Katherine Johnson, president of PHCC.

Dr. Stan Liberty, president of Kettering, told The Suncoast News that Kettering has been looking to the south for such agreements as this is where the population and industry have shifted. The hardest aspect of establishing articulation agreement, is finding schools that have programs that easily can mesh with those at Kettering. PHCC was one of the easiest fits Kettering has come across, he said.

“This region of Florida is already generating co-op jobs for Kettering’s current students,” said Bob Nichols, director of External Affairs for Kettering. “It will be even better for the new, local talent from PHCC. We’re all sensing this is the start of something good.”

With unemployment reaching double digits across the nation, companies are finding the task of filling job vacancies with qualified candidates increasingly hard, especially in industries such as science and engineering. If the Tampa Bay area can embrace this educational opportunity to cultivate engineering and scientific talent, this newfound talent-pool will be in a position to boost existing companies in the area as well as entice companies from elsewhere to relocate.

Unlike traditional internship programs, Kettering takes the experience to another level. Students are placed in a cooperative education program which includes a long-term assignment with a greater emphasis on responsibility and long-term goals, as most of these students stay with the same company they start with for their cooperative program.

Chuck Puccini, president of Odessa-based Bauer Foundation, said he can't wait to see what this type of program can do for students and businesses alike. When he brought in a student from Kettering, he was offering fresh perspectives and ideas on a multi-million dollar project within weeks of his arrival. After the initial experience, Puccini said, he was so pleased that the company has invited and hosted several more Kettering students and looks forward to a continued partnership.

Puccini is no stranger to hosting students through educational partnerships. Not only does Bauer Foundation embrace college students at the national level, but the company also embraces high school students at the local level. Through an organization called Career Technical Education Foundation, or CTEF, in Pinellas County, founded and lead by Paul Wahnish, Puccini has been introduced to and accepted several high school level interns in an effort to further cultivate Bay Area talent.

"In today's world, you don't have time to set up training," Puccini said. “The prospect of developing and having first pick of homegrown talent would be like a dream come true.”

For information on PHCC, please visit www.phcc.edu. For information on Kettering University, please visit www.kettering.edu. For information on BAUER Foundation Corp., please visit www.bauerfoundations.com. For information on CTEF, please visit http://www.careertechedfoundation.org/.

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